


2nd Degree

by conceptstage



Series: Single Chapter Critical Role [74]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 14:40:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17624309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conceptstage/pseuds/conceptstage
Summary: Beau saves Nott and Caleb is weird about it.





	2nd Degree

It happened like slow motion.

Caleb’s eyes flickered along the edge of the lava. Did Nott make it over before the bridge went down? Where was she? His heart was pounding against his ribcage so hard he thought the skin of his chest might bruise. 

There was a flare of flame as the thin, cooled membrane of the lava river at the very edge was broken by a foot. A moment later, Nott blinked into view. She met his eye across the room and then her eyes fell closed as her body drifted back. It must have all happened in less than a second, but as Caleb watched the person he loved most in the world crash into the lava, sending up a wave of molten flame, it felt like a lifetime.

‘I have to save her,’ he thought. ‘Nott, I have to save her, she needs me.’ But when he moved, it was like he was moving in quicksand. His foot shifted forward like his legs were filled with molasses and his arm raised, as if to reach for her, but he may as well have been standing still. There was a flash of blue next to him, moving passed his nearly frozen form with a speed he wasn’t capable of without magical intervention.

Beau sped passed him, scooping his best friend out of the flame and screaming in pain even as she ran back to the safety of the tunnel, holding Nott to her chest. When Caleb looked at her, her eyes were open once more but her expression was blank with pain as fire ate through her cloak and skin. Nott raised a shaking hand and fired two bolts passed his head and he realized suddenly that the giant was on his tail. When they were back in the tunnel, he finally felt like he could breathe again. Fjord pulled off his own cloak and bent down to smother the flames that threatened to consume them both. ‘I should have done that’ he thought, though when he tried to move only his finger twitched. ‘I should have saved her, she needed me. I failed her.’ He ran to follow them all into the tunnel.

“Nott,” he said, kneeling down beside her as the life started to return to her eyes. “Nott, are you-”

“No time,” Beau said, pulling the goblin back to her chest and taking off down the tunnel. “Go!”

There was the sound of stone grinding against stone as Caduceus shaped the stone to cover their escape. He had barely taken a step forward when the new stone wall behind him shook as something heavy hit it with a lot of force. Fjord grabbed on his arm and started hauling him forward. “Go, go, go!”

He ran until his legs felt like jelly underneath him and then he kept running. When he started to slow down, Yasha lifted him off his feet and tossed him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. When the sound of banging against stone faded to a dull thump-thump, they finally came to a stop. Caleb wiggled until Yasha put him down and then shuffled on jelly legs over to Beau, she was still holding Nott in her arms, the goblin’s face pressed against her collarbone.

“Nott...” he started, his voice shaking. Beau gently pulled Nott away from her body and Nott’s eyes sought his out in the darkness. “Oh, Nott,” he mumbled somberly when he saw the tears gathered in her eyes.

“It hurts.”

“I know.” And he did, probably better than anyone else here. He held out his arms and Beau slowly shifted the goblin until she was cradled against his chest. 

Caduceus came over and held his hands over her as if he were about to start a spell but paused and looked at Beau. “Beau, should I-?”

Caleb followed his eyes and saw the angry, red blisters that covered Beau’s arms, her skin peeling back like old, dry paper. She shook her head and looked at her arms like she was seeing the damage for the first time. “No, I’m fine, do Nott.”

Jester bit her lip and stepped forward, adding her healing power to Caduceus’. “We should have one or two spells left for you, Beau.”

“Finish Nott, her burns are deeper. Don’t worry about me.”

Jester’s eyes were wet when she smiled. “You make not worrying about you impossible.”

Beau grinned but the mirth didn’t reach her eyes. She huffed and pressed her back against the stonewall of the tunnel, sliding down to sit in the dirt with her arms gingerly laying across her lap to keep the burns from rubbing against the fabric of her pants. The longer she sat there, her head tilted back against the wall and her eyes falling closed, the more the adrenaline faded the more pain started spreading through her veins with each heartbeat. 

She jumped when there was movement beside her and Caduceus kneeled down beside her. “We ran out of spells. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, Ducie.”

“I don’t want to leave you like this. I have something that might help a bit, but it may just be like trying to staunch a cut artery with a bandaid.”

She chuckled through gritted teeth. “Lay it on me. I’ll take whatever you got.” He sorted through his bag and pulled out a glass jar full of a thick, nearly transparent green goo.

“This is called aloe vera. I use it for sunburns and cooking accidents. It will probably help with pain for a short time but it won’t do a lot.” He scooped out a handful of goo and started smoothing it over her arms. 

She hissed at the first chill touch but, after a few moments, sighed and started relaxing back against the wall. “Oh… that’s nice.”

“It will begin to feel sticky, don’t move around too much, let it dry completely.”

She nodded. “Are we making camp here, then?”

Caduceus looked back at Caleb, who was staring at them with a sleeping goblin in his arms. “Ja,” he said. “I’ll set up the dome.”

He moved Nott into Yasha’s arms and then started his spell like he’d done for several nights in a row. As everyone got situated for the night, Caleb looked over at Beau, still propped against the wall with her arms resting in her lap. She was making an annoyed face, scrunching and unscrunching her nose. “Shit…” she hissed quietly, turning her face to try and touch her nose to the stone but then wincing when the movement pulled on her blistered skin. “Fuck.”

Caleb moved over next to her and reached out to scratch her nose. “Right here?”

She sighed and nodded. “Yeah, that’s it. Thanks.”

“I- Uh, I should be the one thanking you.”

She sniffled and wiggled her nose again until he stopped scratching it. “Why?”

“You saved Nott.”

“Well, yeah. Course I did. I love her. Hey, could you scratch my ear?”

He reached over and started scratching the shell of her ear. “I know. I know you do. But I still… I’m glad you were there. I’m glad that you are the way that you are. Thank you for being the kind of person who would do that.”

“That’s a weird thing to say, man.”

“I know. I’m… I’m not sure how to express my appreciation for your actions in a way that you will accept.”

“If I accept your thanks will you stop being weird?”

“I’m always weird, but yes, I will stop talking.”

“Then, you’re welcome.”

He looked out at the others as they pretended that they weren’t listening in. “Are you going to be able to sleep?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I used to sleep upright all the time when I was alone so that I could hold all my stuff in my arms and be ready to book it if someone tried some stuff. It’s been a while, but I’m sure it’s just like riding a bike.”

Caleb sighed and nodded and moved to lay down on the ground. “For the record,” he called, a few silent minutes later. “Nott loves you too.”

Beau’s eyes were closed but he saw a smile twitch up her cheek. “Thanks.”

“I love you too, Beau!”

“Thanks, Jes.”

“Nugget loves you too!”

“Thanks, Nugget.”

Caleb closed his eyes and sighed, slowly falling asleep with a snoring Nott wrapped in his arms. He loved her too, but he didn’t say that out loud. He was pretty sure she knew it anyway.


End file.
